The first day of spring is looking very much like just another winter day in parts of Atlantic Canada.

Wednesday was the "calm before the storm," but the snow began in western New Brunswick through the overnight hours.

"A snowfall warning is in place for northwestern New Brunswick, with amounts locally reaching 25 cm by the end of Thursday," says Weather Network meteorologist Brett Soderholm.

The stormy conditions prompted several school closures across the region early Thursday and officials warned of possible bus delays as well.

The snow will mix with rain, or change over to rain, in southern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

For Nova Scotia, a brief period of mixing will mark the start of this system, but it will soon change over to an all-rain event.

"Rainfall amounts between 10 and 25 mm are also expected for the southern shores of Nova Scotia by the end of the day," Soderholm adds. "Strong sustained winds will lead to blustery conditions over much of the region with Wreckhouse/Les Suetes wind warnings in place."

"Newfoundland will be impacted by this system late Thursday and continuing into Friday," Soderholm says. "Wind and blowing snow warnings have already been issued for the province."

Snowfall amounts exceeding 10 cm are possible in the northern peninsula, with less than 10 cm of snow and 10 mm of rain for the western and central parts of the province.

There will likely be a brief period of snow along the south of the province in the early stages, before switching over to heavy rain, with potential amounts ranging up to 25 mm, and up to 15 mm for the Avalon and Burin peninsulas.

Strong winds will be associated with this system as well, gusting up to 120 km/h in Newfoundland's Wreckhouse region and up to 110 km/h in Cape Breton.

"Fresh snow and strong easterly winds will result in poor visibilities in blowing snow," warns Environment Canada in the statement.